De/construction sites: Romans and the digital playground

The Roman world as attested to archaeologically and as interacted with today has its expression in a great many computational and other media. The place of visualisation within this has been paramount. This paper argues that the process of digitally constructing the Roman world and the exploration of the resultant models are useful methods for interpretation and influential factors in the creation of a popular Roman aesthetic. Furthermore, it suggests ways in which novel computational techniques enable the systematic deconstruction of such models, in turn re-purposing the many extant representations of Roman architecture and material culture

Métodos de representação virtual e visualização para informação arquitetónica e contextual em sítios arqueológicos

This work seeks to outline some guidelines in order to improve the use of 3D visualization applied to archaeological data of diverse nature and at different scales. One difficulty found in this process is related to the still frequent two-dimensional representation of the three-dimensional archaeological reality. Aware that the existence of data of two-dimensional nature is fundamental in the archaeological process and that they result, on the one hand, from the manual archaeological recording processes and, on the other hand, from the intense analysis and interpretation activity of the archaeological investigation team, we seek to ensure an adequate 3D representation based on 3D acquisition methods mostly available to the archaeology teams. Archaeological visualization in three-dimensional support is an increasingly frequent and necessary practice, but it continues to show some difficulties. These are substantiated in the reduced number of visualization techniques used, the use of visualization tools that are not very customized for the archaeological needs and the privileged use of visual features of the models during the archaeological process phases. Thus, the main objective of this work is to design and evaluate appropriate methods for visualizing archaeological data. To determine which visualization methods are most used during the phases of the archaeological process, an online user-survey was carried out, which allowed consolidating the 3D representation methodologies used, as well as to propose a visualization model that also categorizes the appropriate visualization techniques which increase the visual perception and understanding of the archaeological elements. Three prototypes are defined according to the different 3D data acquisition methodologies presented and visualization methodologies are designed in order to, on the one hand, take into account the scale and diversity of the archaeological elements and, on the other hand, to account for the need to ensure visualization methods which are easily assimilated by archaeologists. Each prototype was evaluated by two archaeologists with different professional background. They were proposed, through a set of previously determined tasks, to assess the interaction with 3D models and with the visualization methods and the satisfaction of the visualization results regarding the archaeological needs. The evaluation of the prototypes allowed to conclude that the presented visualization methods increase the perception of 3D models which represent archaeological elements. In addition, it was also possible to produce new objects that reveal elements of archaeological interest. It is suggested to make these methodologies available on a web-based application and on mobile platforms.Este trabalho procura esboçar algumas diretrizes no sentido de melhorar a utilização da visualização 3D aplicada aos dados arqueológicos de natureza diversa e a escalas distintas. Uma dificuldade encontrada neste processo prende-se com a, ainda frequente, representação bidimensional da realidade arqueológica tridimensional. Ciente de que a existência de dados de natureza bidimensional são fundamentais no processo arqueológico e que resultam, por um lado, dos processos manuais de registo arqueológicos e, por outro, da intensa atividade de análise e interpretação da equipa de investigação arqueológica, procuramos assegurar uma representação 3D adequada, com base em metodologias de aquisição de dados 3D geralmente disponíveis às equipas de arqueologia. A visualização arqueológica em suporte tridimensional é uma prática cada vez mais frequente e necessária, mas que continua a evidenciar algumas dificuldades. Estas substanciam-se no reduzido número de técnicas de visualização usadas, na utilização de ferramentas de visualização pouco adaptadas às necessidades arqueológicas e na utilização preferencial de características visuais dos modelos durante as fases do processo arqueológico. Assim, o objetivo primordial deste trabalho é desenhar e avaliar métodos adequados à visualização de dados arqueológicos. Para determinar que métodos de visualização são mais utilizados durante as fases do processo arqueológico realizou-se um questionário online que permitiu consolidar as metodologias de representação 3D usadas, bem como propor um modelo de visualização que também categoriza as técnicas de visualização adequadas para aumentar a perceção e a compreensão visual dos elementos arqueológicos. Definem-se três protótipos de acordo com as distintas metodologias de aquisição de dados 3D apresentados e são desenhadas metodologias de visualização que, por um lado, têm em conta a escala e a diversidade dos elementos arqueológicos e, por outro, a necessidade de assegurar métodos de visualização facilmente assimilados pelos arqueólogos. Cada protótipo foi avaliado por dois arqueólogos com experiências profissionais distintas. O que lhes foi proposto, através de um conjunto de tarefas previamente estabelecidas, foi aferir da facilidade de interação com os modelos 3D e com os métodos de visualização e adequação dos resultados de visualização às necessidades dos arqueólogos. A avaliação dos protótipos permitiu concluir que os métodos de visualização apresentados aumentam a perceção dos modelos 3D que representam elementos arqueológicos. Para além disso foi possível produzir também novos objetos que revelam elementos com interesse arqueológico. É sugerida a disponibilização destas metodologias em ambiente web e plataformas móveis.Programa Doutoral em Informátic

A shared terminology for hypothetical 3D digital reconstructions in the field of Cultural Heritage

Working in synergy with experts coming not only from different fields (computer scientists, archaeologists, historians...), but also from different countries, thus speaking a variety of languages, is very often essential in the field of digital 3D reconstructions for cultural heritage, for heuristic rather than entertainment purposes. This inevitably leads to the comparison of different methods and workflows, each of which is based on its own terminology. Therefore, comparing the terms that are used, following their evolution and, to some extent, attempting to standardise them is a prerequisite for making the reconstruction as objective and reproducible as possible, qualities that are of prime importance especially when the goal is the publication of results in online platforms, so that they are accessible and comprehensible to a wide audience of interested users. Terminology is only one of the open problems in the field of digital 3D reconstructions, which, as is well known, also faces issues related, for instance, to different software and file formats, or even to data storage and to the platforms used to share them. These problems, however, can hardly be tackled without a shared terminology and methodology, which should be the basis of any 3D digital reconstruction used to disseminate (and potentially enrich with new discoveries) cultural heritage, especially when it comes to hypothetical reconstructions of artefacts that have been destroyed or have never been built. In this case, the dialogue between experts is a central element and it is therefore clear why, first of all, it is necessary to agree on the terms that are used. This study aims to analyse some of the most frequent ones in this sense, especially those relating to the certainty and reliability of a reconstruction, whose data model becomes a social and cultural object that we cannot ignore

The Potential of Virtual Heritage Reconstruction in Lost Ansonborough

The virtual reconstruction of vanished heritage is a well-known practice in the preservation field. The constant development in computer technologies has been improving visualization and interpretation techniques for virtual reconstructions of no longer extant or inaccessible sites. Reconstruction projects of vanished heritage sites implement various approaches because of different challenges at each site. This research involves 3D reconstructions, as well as historical research of early nineteenth century residences, Radcliffe-King and Gabriel Manigault houses in the Ansonborough neighborhood of Charleston, South Carolina, USA. The demolition of these two mansions in the first half of the twentieth century leads to the loss of the residential character at the intersection of George and Meeting Streets in Ansonborough. Photogrammetry and rectification techniques established the dimensions and the scale for these buildings from salvaged architectural details and early photographs to recreate the lost residential character. Other sources, like maps and drawings are used to supplement the photographs and salvaged materials for virtual reconstruction

Chapter Dialoghi tra diverse discipline (e lingue): una terminologia condivisa per le ricostruzioni digitali 3D ipotetiche e per la classificazione del loro livello di incertezza

The 43rd UID conference, held in Genova, takes up the theme of ‘Dialogues’ as practice and debate on many fundamental topics in our social life, especially in these complex and not yet resolved times. The city of Genova offers the opportunity to ponder on the value of comparison and on the possibilities for the community, naturally focused on the aspects that concern us, as professors, researchers, disseminators of knowledge, or on all the possibile meanings of the discipline of representation and its dialogue with ‘others’, which we have broadly catalogued in three macro areas: History, Semiotics, Science / Technology. Therefore, “dialogue” as a profitable exchange based on a common language, without which it is impossible to comprehend and understand one another; and the graphic sign that connotes the conference is the precise transcription of this concept: the title ‘translated’ into signs, derived from the visual alphabet designed for the visual identity of the UID since 2017. There are many topics which refer to three macro sessions: - Witnessing (signs and history) - Communicating (signs and semiotics) - Experimenting (signs and sciences) Thanks to the different points of view, an exceptional resource of our disciplinary area, we want to try to outline the prevailing theoretical-operational synergies, the collaborative lines of an instrumental nature, the recent updates of the repertoires of images that attest and nourish the relations among representation, history, semiotics, sciences

Issues in digital preservation: towards a new research agenda

Digital Preservation has evolved into a specialized, interdisciplinary research discipline of its own, seeing significant increases in terms of research capacity, results, but also challenges. However, with this specialization and subsequent formation of a dedicated subgroup of researchers active in this field, limitations of the challenges addressed can be observed. Digital preservation research may seem to react to problems arising, fixing problems that exist now, rather than proactively researching new solutions that may be applicable only after a few years of maturing. Recognising the benefits of bringing together researchers and practitioners with various professional backgrounds related to digital preservation, a seminar was organized in Schloss Dagstuhl, at the Leibniz Center for Informatics (18-23 July 2010), with the aim of addressing the current digital preservation challenges, with a specific focus on the automation aspects in this field. The main goal of the seminar was to outline some research challenges in digital preservation, providing a number of "research questions" that could be immediately tackled, e.g. in Doctoral Thesis. The seminar intended also to highlight the need for the digital preservation community to reach out to IT research and other research communities outside the immediate digital preservation domain, in order to jointly develop solutions

Uncertainty in Hypothetical 3D Reconstructions: Technical, Visual and Cultural ‘Transitions’

Uncertainty assessment is fundamental when dealing with digital 3D reconstructions of hypothetical artefacts. In this framework, a range of uncertainty scales based on different classifications and visualisation techniques have been proposed through time without reaching a standard. Besides this, we argue that, even starting from a very simple uncertainty scale (which can also become more complex if needed) and assuming that it becomes widespread, a variety of challenges arise at different levels: at least a technical, a visual and a cultural one, which are here analysed describing the different kinds of 'transitions' that they can convey. At a technical level, the uncertainty scale can be applied to different levels of detail (allowing transitions between them), can be communicated through platforms (generating transitions of knowledge) and hopefully by means of (a transition to) standard exchange formats. At a visual level, a transition should be guaranteed between different uncertainty visualisation techniques, but also to infographics representing uncertainty data in more complex ways. At a cultural level, we should take into account that this transition of knowledge may occur in different domains and have different targets, in a balance between complexity and adaptation depending on the audience we refer to. We conclude with two goals for the future: the integration of the uncertainty documentation as a property in the CIDOC CRM ontology for cultural heritage and the visualisation of uncertainty directly on suitable online viewers

Reconciling the dissonance between Historic Preservation and Virtual Reality through a Place-based Virtual Heritage system.

This study explores a problematic disconnect associated with virtual heritage and the immersive 3D computer modeling of cultural heritage. The products of virtual heritage often fail to adhere to long-standing principles and recent international conventions associated with historic preservation, heritage recording, designation, and interpretation. By drawing upon the geographic concepts of space, landscape, and place, along with advances in Geographic Information Systems, first-person serious games, and head-mounted Virtual Reality platforms this study envisions, designs, implements, and evaluates a virtual heritage system that seeks to reconcile the dissonance between Virtual Reality and historic preservation. Finally, the dissertation examines the contributions and future directions of such a Place-based Virtual Heritage system in human geography and historic preservation planning and interpretation